Beast Who Smiles
by Johanna-002
Summary: Story request from StonerSammi. It's Nicky, not Red, who is brutally attacked by Vee. "Nicky had been beaten to a bloody pulp and was now fighting for her life miles away at the nearest hospital all over a fucking tunnel."


**Title:** Beast Who Smiles

 **Summary:** Story request from StonerSammi. It's Nicky, not Red, who is brutally attacked by Vee. "Nicky had been beaten to a bloody pulp and was now fighting for her life miles away at the nearest hospital all over a fucking tunnel."

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own OITNB or any of its characters. They belong to Jenji Kohen, I do however own my writing, please don't steal- Johanna002©

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 _A/N: Challenge by StonerSammi. I hope I've fulfilled it well. I really enjoyed writing this, as dark and twisty as that may sound. LOL. Also, we are going to pretend Caputo never fired Susan Fisher._

Truce- An agreement between enemies to halt their arguing.

They had called a fucking truce. That night out in the rain, they had agreed to end it. They had agreed to cease the war and live among one another in peace.

Red's hands beat angrily against the table. Her breathing was hard and heavy, and her jaw clenched and un-clenched reflexively as she recalled the encounter with such vividness.

" _You keep yours, I'll keep mine." Vee had sounded so defeated- exhausted. "We've got enough fucking hell in here already." She held out her hand, her breath coming in and out in ragged pants. "Truce?"_

 _Red was skeptical. She was weary to drop her guard, fearing at any second she would pay for it. Swallowing hard, she took the offered hand and gently shook it. She saw no signs of deceit and softly uttered "Truce" in return._

Now, she was paying for it- her naivety. Nicky was paying for it.

Her hand came up to rub the ache that settled in her frontal lobe and she suddenly felt overcome with emotion. She didn't want to succumb to the intense amount of pain that had slowly begun to chip away at her heart; she wanted to remain strong, for Nicky. She had to be emotions she had fought to keep at bay suddenly hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her entire body shook forcibly as her sobs reduced her down to nothing.

It was all her fault. She couldn't help the sudden wave of nausea that washed over her at the realization. Nicky had been beaten to a bloody pulp and was now fighting for her life miles away at the nearest hospital all over a fucking tunnel.

Nobody was telling her anything, simply dismissing her because she wasn't _really_ Nicky's mother. Her family had tried to be supportive. Frieda and Norma had done their best to comfort her, but there was little they could do to help. Lorna had become an emotional wreck and she was the absolute last person Red wanted to see. She could barely cope with her own pain; she wasn't strong enough to bare the weight of someone else's.

She had stormed out of the dorms, itching to find some sort of release- anything to distract her. Red couldn't take it any more- the noise, the questions, the not knowing. She needed peace and space to collect and organize her wild thoughts.

There was absolutely no doubt in her that Vee had been the one to orchestrate Nicky's attack. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if the bitch had committed the act herself. Shivering slightly at the sudden memory of her own attack many years ago, her heart seemed to crumble even more. She, herself, had sustained two broken ribs and a punctured lung-she would be lying if she said it hadn't hurt like hell.

Nicky's attack had been heinous- brutal. She had tried to catch a glimpse of her as they were rushing her into an ambulance, but all she saw was blood. There was so much fucking blood. She couldn't even begin to imagine what her baby had endured.

Somewhere during her search for peace she had found herself in the common room. The silence was deafening, but she wasn't going to deny that she relished in the solitude. Everyone was tucked away in their dorms with their family, counting their blessings that it hadn't been one of their girls that had been victimized.

 _Nicky, a victim_. She groaned in disgust at the thought. Her baby was a fighter, not a victim.

Quickly, her attention was pulled to the door by a small cough. Recognizing it to be Healy she stood immediately. "How is she?" Red couldn't keep the pain out of her voice even if she had tried. "Is she okay?"

Sam shook his head, running a tired hand over his face as he approached her. He gestured for her to sit down, and slowly he, himself, sunk down in a chair across from her. "It doesn't look good, Red."

Immediately her head dropped into her hands and she sobbed loudly. Her cries were so painful it made his stomach churn. He never knew a person capable of making such a sound.

She tried to speak but her words were a jumbled mess. "She's going to be okay." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. "She's going to be okay."

Healy awkwardly reached his hand out to squeeze her shoulder. " _You'll_ be okay," He told her gently, his hand now rubbing her back.

Her emotions had taken complete control of her body, and she couldn't calm herself down. She was finding it hard to breath. She began to gasp desperately for air.

"Hey, now" He rubbed her back a little more forcefully. "None of that now, okay. Calm down... Shh,"

She struggled to find relief. "I can't," She panted heavily "I can't breathe."

"You can," His tone was forceful. "Shh, deep breaths okay. Like this." He inhaled deeply then exhaled, then inhaled again and held it for a second before exhaling once more. "Do as I am doing."

It had taken some time, but Red had finally managed to regain control of her breathing. She hadn't managed to stop crying, but that was to be expected. Today had been unbearable and it seemed as if it were only going to get worse.

Her eyes bore into the floor, willing it to part and swallow her whole. She didn't want to survive this if it meant she would have to find a way to survive without Nicky. Being without her was not an option. She had felt a presence more than she heard one, and her eyes quickly averted from the floor up to the young woman who had broken through the threshold of her solitude. Red stood up instantly, swaying slightly as she did. She felt Healy's arm reach out to steady her.

"You saw her." Her eyes bore into the brown ones of Susan Fisher. "You found her." Red's tone was laced with need. She _needed_ to talk to the CO. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help her strangled cry. "Oh my God," She felt her body begin to convulse wildly. "That's her blood?"

Fisher's eyes widen in horror as she glanced down. Her uniform was covered in Nicky's blood, and she mentally kicked herself for not changing. Everything had happened so quickly that she had forgotten.

At the empty look that she saw suddenly flash in the older inmate's eyes, she backed away, apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry," Her eyes darted from Red's to Healy. "I have to go… you shouldn't... I'm sorry."

Red was quicker than she was and roughly grabbed the younger woman by her arm. "No!" Her bottom lip trembled. "What happened... please? Tell me." She begged.

Fisher shook her head. "You can't... I can't."

Red's grip on her tightened, despite Healy persistently demanding her to let go. Normally, Fisher would be petrified of an inmate having such a vice grip on her, and if she were being honest, she was scared, but deep down she knew Red wouldn't hurt her.

"I need to know, please." The tone of Red's voice tugged at her heartstrings and Fisher's gaze dropped as she thought about how she would feel in a similar situation.

What if it were her child who had been assaulted? _Well_ , she admitted to herself honestly, she would want to know everything- every detail.

Healy did his best to free Susan from her grasp, and once he had suddenly succeeded, he had stepped in between them. "You don't need those images in your head, Red."

"Nothing you say can be worse than what's been swirling in my mind all day!" She barked angrily. Her tone suddenly softened as another onset of tears began to glide softly down her cheeks. "She's my daughter… what if she doesn't come back? I didn't" She choked on her words. "I didn't even get to tell her good bye, or that I loved her."

"I was just doing rounds," Susan said softly, her eyes suddenly dazed with a faraway look. "I was just... walking, and then I heard a loud crash and I... She was there on the floor."

 _Susan began her normal routine- walking along the inside of the camp before venturing to the outside. As she neared closer to the electrical dorm she couldn't help but snarl in disgust. She hated this part of her canvas; she always feared running into Luscheck._

 _God how she despised that man! As she neared the door she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the loud clatter that echoed._

 _"Drunken fool" She scoffed angrily, throwing open the door. She had expected to find a drunken idiot passed out cold, but to her horror, what she encountered was much worse. It visibly shook her to her core._

 _The stools had been knocked over, and there was blood... so much blood, and then there was Nicky._

 _"Nichols!" She screamed. She rushed over to her side and knelt beside her, she suddenly felt nauseated. Nicky was covered in blood, her body limp. Her face was torn up- huge gashes marring her features. Upon further observation, she noticed hand prints around the young woman's throat._

 _"I need medical to the electrical dorm, now!" She screamed desperately into her radio. She poked at her shoulder forcefully, hoping to ignite a response . "Nicky, honey," Fisher called to her, fingers quickly locating the pulse point in her neck. Nicky's pulse was thready and weak, but it was there. "Nicky honey, can you open your eyes? You're gonna be okay. Help is on the way."_

 _She stroked her hair gently, "Can you tell me who did this to you? Nicky," Her tone became a little more forceful when she saw Nicky's eyes open briefly before rolling back into the abyss of darkness. "No, Nicky, Nicky, you need to stay with me. Talk to me."_

 _"Hmm," Nicky groaned, "Ma,"_

 _"I know honey," Fisher said. God, where the fuck was the medic team! "We'll call your mom, okay."_

 _"Red," She groaned out._

 _Fisher's face fell. She wasn't sure what would be worse, having to tell Ms. Nichols what had happened or having to tell an angry Russian._

 _"Finally!" She screamed as the medical unit suddenly appeared. "Where the fuck have you been?" Normally she wasn't so aggressive, but under normal circumstances she also didn't see a woman nearly beaten to death either_

 _"Is she awake?" Nurse Dimaguiaba asked._

 _Fisher sighed, backing away as the camp nurse and medic rushed over to Nicky's side. "Her breathing is shallow, and her pulse is weak. She's falling in and out of consciousness." She stepped back just a foot more, allowing the older lady and young gentleman to render aid._

 _"How many wounds do you see?" Dimaguiba asked, reestablishing that there was in fact a heartbeat._

 _"She's got bruising around her neck, lacerations to the face," The medic lifted up Nicky's top and began to press on her abdomen. "Abdomen is swollen and distended, it could be internal bleeding." She winced, seeing the obvious bruising on the woman's torso and rib cage._

 _"Okay we need to start bagging her." The nurse's voice was authoritative and left no room for question. "Let's get an ambu bag and a c-collar on her, now, please." He winced at Nicky's painful cries. "Hold on, Honey, we got to check you out first. We need to roll her," He looked around, sighing sadly. She had already lost so much blood._ _"Someone grab C-spine."_ _Fisher jumped in, holding Nicky's neck steadily. "On my count: 1,2,3- roll her!"_

 _"There's also bruising on her back." She shook her head in disgust. "Damn, they tore her up!"_

 _"We need to go, now!" The nurse shouted. "Her pulse is bottoming out."_

 _They loaded her on a stretcher and Fisher ran out alongside them, clearing their path as they barreled past onlookers, making their way to the ambulance that awaited them._ _It would take Nicky to a real hospital as their medical unit could do nothing for the severity of her injuries. They were focused- intent- on making sure Nicky made it alive to the hospital._

 _Fisher had been professional and spot on, ignoring the ever growing commotion. Why wasn't this fucking place on lock-down?_

 _"Code Red!" She screamed into her radio once more. "We need to lock this camp down, now!"_ _She had been so focused on following protocol she had hardly noticed Red barreling towards her._

 _"Nicky!" Fisher cringed at how horrified the elder woman sounded. She quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her from going to Nicky's side. "Get the fuck off of me!" Red shouted angrily._

 _"Red, I'm sorry," She said hurriedly as she tried to push the woman back. "I'm going with her okay. I'm going to make sure she'll be okay, but you can't see her right now. She needs to get to a hospital."_

"What did the doctors say?" Red asked wiping at her tears, pulling Susan from her thoughts. "Healy said it didn't look good."

Susan ran a tired hand over her neck. "When we got there they immediately had to rush her into exploratory surgery. They were concerned with internal bleeding due to how hard her abdomen had gotten. She sustained multiple head traumas, and they had to shock her heart on two different occasions in the ambulance alone. She also lost quite a bit of blood."

More tears sprang to Red's eyes. Nicky already had a bad heart. She wasn't sure how much stress her body could handle.

"She stopped breathing, and they had to intubate her," Susan continued. "When I left, she was still in surgery."

"It was Vee!' Red seethed angrily. "I know she did this."

Susan guided Red to sit down, and she dismissed Healy with a small nod. "Red, look," She began when the Healy was no longer in sight. "I know you're scared and I know you're angry, but I need you to promise me that you will let us handle this."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"Nicky needs you, Red." Susan tried a different approach, ignoring the anger. "When she comes back, she's going to need you. You won't be able to help her if you do something stupid." Her eyes hardened. "Please, let us handle this. Don't confront that woman if you feel so strongly about her involvement. Don't do something stupid, I don't want to have to request additional time to your sentence or send you down the hill."

That evening had found Red curled up in her bunk, the blanket pulled high over her head. It had been both an incredibly stressful and emotional day. It had been over eight hours since Nicky had been transported to the hospital and Red was still in the dark on her prognosis.

"Red,"

The Russian pulled the blanket down just enough to expose one of her eyes. She sighed in annoyance. "What do you want, Chapman?"

"Have you heard anything about Nicky?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket back over her head. "You asked me that same question two hours ago. Have you seen me leave in the last two hours, or has anyone come to update me at all?" She couldn't help the bitterness in her tone. "So, no Chapman, I have no idea if she's dead or alive."

With nothing more to say, Red tried her hardest to fall asleep, but to no avail her slumber was a restless one. She couldn't get the bloodied, battered image of Nicky out of her head. Was that truly how she would have to see her daughter for the last time? God, she prayed not. The battered image of Nicky tore into her as much as a lonely and scared image of Nicky did. Was Nicky awake? Was she alone? God, her child was in some hospital alone and probably scared out of her mind.

Was she alive? Yes… Yes, of course she was. She would know if she were dead… Right?

Red had eventually managed to succumb to her exhaustion, but she hadn't been asleep very long before it was time to get up. She had simply been going through the motions, trying to find some semblance of normality. Her family was never too far from her side, and for that she was grateful. Upon entering the cafeteria her eyes had immediately found the woman she loathed most. Given the opportunity, Red would have gladly taken the fork Vee was using and shoved it deep into her jugular vein. Oh, the relief she knew she would feel given the chance.

"Loca, ven," Red's head snapped up to meet the brown, concerned orbs of Mendoza. "Rapido!" The Spanish woman urged.

Not really wanting to, but seemingly given no choice, Red left her position in line and answered to Mendoza's beckoning. She cross the threshold back into the kitchen and relaxed only slightly at the small sense of relief she felt.

"You look like shit." Mendoza crossed her arms over her chest, and took in the disheveled woman before her.

Red ran a hand though her flat hair. She had decided to forgo both hair volume and makeup today. "You're very kind, thank you." She replied sarcastically. "That's what I needed."

Mendoza rolled her eyes. "Look," her arms uncrossed to rest on her hips, "I'm trying to be nice here."

"Are you?"

She nodded and sighed softly. "I'm not sure how to go about doing it, but yes." Gloria felt pity for the woman, and as a mother, she wanted to hug her but she knew that wouldn't be acceptable- not in here anyway. "How's your girl?"

Red shrugged, and walked over to lean against the fridge. "I don't know. No one will talk to me."

Gloria shook her head. "I'm sorry. She had a mouth on her, that one, but she was good."

"She's not dead you heartless witch!"

Shaking her head, Gloria moved to stand beside her. "Calmese, you hothead," she looked her up and down. "You got a plan?"

As much as she wished to join in Mendoza's banter, her heart just wasn't in it. "I had a dream she got run over by a car." She almost sounded hopeful as she said the words.

Following her talk with Gloria, Red had found herself liberated. She was well aware of Fisher's warning, and while she did want to be here for Nicky, she had to prepare herself for the painful reality that she may not ever come back.

"I don't like that look in your eyes." Frieda whispered softly, sighing at the lack of life that was reflected back in the Russian's blue sapphires. "There's no light in your eyes, Red."

Red's posture straightened even more as she tore her gaze away from Frieda. "I need your help." She said softly, her voice barley above a whisper. "I need you all to help me." She pleaded to the women who surrounded her in the green house.

"What the fuck you want us to do?" Boo huffed. She had allowed Red to talking her into coming to this meeting. Something about clearing her guilty conscious as she was part of the reason Nicky had been hurt.

Red's eyes darted from hers to Vause's then back to Mendoza's. "I don't know, but I will not allow her to get away with this." Her eyes flashed black and suddenly she was invoked with rage. "I say we kill the bitch!"

"No," Mendoza shook her head. "No, what you need to do is let us handle this. You can't be involved."

Red laughed bitterly as she shook her head. "Are you fucking joking?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Nicky is laid up in a hospital right now because of her. I don't even know if she's alive for fucks-sake! Like hell am I going to let her get away with what she did!"

Mendoza rubbed at her temples, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Are you trying to get a hundred years added to your sentence? You aren't thinking rationally! I know she hurt your girl, and for that she will pay, but I'm sorry," Her eyes locked with Red's. "You can't be a part of this. You're too close."

"I agree with Gloria. This is too personal for you to be a part of, Red." Piper crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If we are going to do anything we need to be clean and clear headed."

"And I'm not clear headed?" Red practically growled, daring her to a challenge.

Piper held her hands up defensively. She wouldn't point out the obvious. "I just think maybe you should sit this one out."

Norma laid a hand on Red's shoulder, hey eyes conveying concerns of her own.

Mendoza ushered her gently out the door. "I will let you know when everything's been taken care of."

Livid was not the proper word to describe the Russian after having been kicked out of her own meeting. At this point, Red had found herself aimlessly walking around, a little less angry at the way things had played out. Disheartened, she sighed. She didn't like this feeling- this perception that she was weak and unfocused. She needed a distraction.

 _No, you need Nicky_. She couldn't argue with the little voice in her head. At this very moment she craved Nicky more than anything.

"Well, well, well," Red stopped suddenly in her tracks, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She turned to see Vee behind her, trying hard to keep the grin off her face. "Look what we have here. I've been looking all over for you."

Red's blood instantly began to boil. She clenched her fists together reflexively and she felt her nostrils flare. She could have sworn her hair had changed a darker shade of red.

Vee's eyes darkened as she took in the Russian's appearance. "I'm so sorry to hear about your little girl, Red, Nicky is-"

In an instant Red was stepping up to her, their face inches apart. "Don't say her name! She's mine; Her name, her, all of it- mine. Don't speak of her."

"I have daughters too, Red," Vee said gently, "I can only imagine-"

Red scoffed. "You can't imagine shit." Her eyes fell, and her voice cracked. "I know it was you." Before she had a chance to continue she heard her name being called.

"Reznikov!"

There it was again. She looked over her shoulder to see Fisher

Vee had the audacity to smile at her. "Should have heard her- the way she screamed." Her eyes closed as she relived the memory. "She's got quite a set of lungs on her."

"Red!" Red ignored Fisher, her eyes darkening as she took in what exactly it was that Vee was telling her.

To Vee, seeing the Russian squirm felt almost as good as it did when she had stood over Nicky's limp body. "She got quiet after her face took a good couple of hard knocks against the wooden table." She laughed sadistically, "You should have heard her, at one point she even called out for you."

That's all it had taken for Red to feel the little control she had left slip away from her completely. In an instant her eyes flashed black and she was lunging forward, but before she had the privilege to even lay a finger on her, she felt her body being jerked backward.

"Parker, go!" It was Fisher's voice as she roughly secured Red's hands behind her back. "Now, Parker!" As the woman stalked off Fisher quickly spun Red around and started in on her. "What are you doing, huh? Have you lost your fucking mind?"

"Oh to hell with you!" She snarled angrily, roughly pulling away. "Instead of sitting on your ass, letting SIS launch their bullshit investigation-"

Instantly Susan's eyes softened. "Calm down, please,"

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" Red growled. Her eyes quickly found Vee's figure, "Keep her away from me," her thunderous tone immediately sounded off, sending chills down Fisher's spine. "Or I swear on my mother's grave, I will kill her."

Exhaling deeply, Fisher shivered and beckoned for her to start walking into the building. "Come on. I'm gonna pretend like I didn't hear you say that."

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Red asked angrily. They had yet to stop walking and were entering a part of the prison where usually inmates would meet with their lawyer.

"I wanted to talk to you in private." Susan ushered her into one of the rooms and closed the door softly behind her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold chain, she held it out for Red and instantly the woman gasped.

"That's her necklace?" She took the chain and allowed her fingers to delicately trace along the length of it, playing with the small charm on the end of it. "She's not coming back is she?" The malice that had laced her words earlier was now replaced by a tone of desperation.

"She couldn't wear it in surgery. I forgot to give it to you yesterday." Susan ushered her to sit down. She reached across the table and took the older woman's hands in her own. "I talked to her doctors this morning, Red. Nicky is stable." Instantly, Red was in tears a sigh of relief passing her lips. She couldn't help the way her body suddenly began to shake.

Despite the heaviness of the situation, Susan allowed herself a smile. She blinked back away tears of her own. "I went to see her this morning before I came in. She has been heavily sedated to help with the pain and she was having trouble breathing on her own, so she's intubated, but the doctors are saying she's getting stronger." Her thumbs ran soothingly over the back of Red's hands. "A very strong girl you've got, honey."

"So she's going to be okay?" Red needed to hear the words. She needed to hear that Nicky would recover.

Susan smiled softly and allowed herself a moment to collect her own emotions. "It is touch-and-go right now. She's got a long road ahead of her but yes, her doctors think she'll pull through." She knew this was inappropriate. She was under strict orders to not release any information on Nichols' condition but she couldn't stand idly by as depression consumed the girl's mother. "Her doctors are going to try and remove the tube and if she can breathe on her own then she'll be transported back here to camp. They were able to control her internal bleeding and repair the damage she had sustained, so our medical unit is more than capable of taking over her care."

The relief was instant, but too much. Red couldn't recall a time in her life when she had felt her emotions so keenly. She was grateful for the way Fisher had kept her in the loop, she was positive that the young woman had probably been advised against doing so.

Before she could properly thank her, Fisher's radio sounded off. "Grade 4. Non urgent response, 10 minutes out."

"Well," A sudden smile appeared on Fisher's face. "Looks like she'll be here in 10 minutes… would you like to see her?"

As a formality, Fisher had to cuff Red. "I'm sorry," She apologized as she tightened the metal around her wrists. Red was grateful that the hallways were empty as she was led down in handcuffs.

"You can't tell anyone that I brought you here." Fisher warned quietly.

Footsteps faltering, Red stole a look at the young woman. She didn't understand what Fisher's deal was. She was risking a lot for her to have this time with Nicky.

"Don't worry about me." Susan didn't miss the side-eye from Red and squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Not saying you all are saints- in fact some of you are downright monsters, but I think you deserve a hell of a lot more respect than what you all are given." She sighed softly as the approached the medical wing. "You're still human. If it were my child, I don't think I would have been able to keep myself together as well as you have managed."

Her beautiful speech had fallen on deaf eyes as Red's attention had completely focused on the stretcher that was being wheeled past her.

 _Nicky!_ God, how she ached to be near her; she wanted to hold her hand and stroke her hair off her face. She wanted Nicky to know that she wasn't alone. Fisher held her back and they watched as the medics situated her in a room.

"Thank you for doing this, Ginger," Fisher thanked the blonde nurse who exited the room.

Ginger smiled in return. "You owe me."

"Add it to my tab." Fisher joked. She led Red to the room and quickly began to un-cuff her wrists. She cringed at how small and lifeless Nicky still looked, she wondered briefly if she had done the right thing. Maybe it was too soon for Red to be seeing her like this.

As Red stepped forward, Susan stepped back and closed the door behind her. She would give the pair some privacy. In an instant Red was at Nicky's side, taking a seat in the chair that was near the bed.

"Oh, Nicky," She sighed her hands coming up to touch Nicky's face. She hesitated, wincing as she took in the large gash to her forehead, her bruised cheek and black eye. Her hands dropped down to clasp Nicky's, she didn't want to hurt her or disturb her stitches. "Oh, _Malyshka_ , I am so sorry, baby."

Nicky groaned, wincing at the voice. "Too loud," she mumbled sleepily. Her eyes peaked open and widening slightly when she saw Red. "Ma?" A small smile came to her lips.

Immediately, tears began to fall. Red hadn't expected Nicky to wake up anytime soon. "Hi, baby," she stroked her hand.

"What are you doing?" Nicky asked softly, finding it hard to keep her eyes open.

Red smiled, "Sitting with you." She wiped away her tears with the back of her left hand. "Fisher brought me."

Nicky chuckled gently, but groaned at the pain the quickly began to radiate throughout her body. "Fucking Fisher- she's good."

"Hmm," Red agreed. "How are you feeling?"

Grimacing, she inhaled deeply. "Like I got the shit beat out of me."

Red winced at her words. "Honey, I'm so sorry." She couldn't help the way her tone cracked. "I should have been watching you. I never thought she would hurt you."

"Shh," Nicky whispered. "It's okay. I'd get jumped a hundred more times if it meant you wouldn't be the one lying here."

There was no point in arguing with her, she knew the words Nicky spoke were true. That was the thing about their relationship- they would lay down their life for one another. Red would sacrifice herself again and again if it meant her children would be okay, she knew Nicky would do the same for her if it came down to it.

Red gently reached out to stroke her cheek; she was relieved when Nicky didn't flinch away from her. "I was scared I would never get to see you again." She brought the hand she still held up to her lips, kissing gently. "I love you."

"Getting soft on me, Red?" Nicky joked, basking in the immediate sense of comfort that she felt. She smiled, and her hand squeezed Red's. "I love you too."

Red allowed her eyes to wash over her figure and her smile fell instantly. It broke her as she took in the full view of what Vee's assault had done to her. She growled as the marks around Nicky's neck came into her line of vision.

"Stop, Ma," Nicky said gently, watching as a myriad of emotions played across the Russian's face. "You're fuming. I'm scared your hair is going to catch on fire."

At this Red had to chuckle, but in an instant her mirth was gone. "I can't let her get away with this, Nicky."

Nicky grumbled. "Please, Ma, just drop it. Okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

Red nodded her head and sighed softly, her hands tightening around Nicky's. With a roll of her eyes, Nicky willed herself to relax. She didn't believe Red for a second, but for now she would pretend that she meant it when she swore to keep out of trouble.

 _So funny how the roles can change,_ Nicky chuckled softly at the thought.

They had stayed that way for a while, softly chatting; Red reminding her ever few minutes how much she loved her. Nicky had saved face for a while, baring as much pain as she could withstand but it was starting to ware on her.

"Nicky," Red chided gently. "Do you want me to get the nurse?" Nicky had been wincing and shifting more uncomfortably for a while now and she couldn't stand to see her withering in pain much longer.

Nicky nodded, her eyes squeezing shut tightly. "Yes," She squeaked.

Just as Red had stood to get the nurse, Susan opened the door. "Oh," She said gently, caught off guard. "Um, we need to head back to camp. We're going on lock-down."

"I-ugh," Red stumbled. "She wanted me to get the nurse, she's in pain."

Susan nodded and turned around, calling out for Ginger. It only took a couple of minutes, but soon Nicky was feeling the effects of the pain meds.

"Say goodbye," Fisher pleaded gently. "If I can, I'll try to bring you back down in a few days. We really have to go though."

Sadly, Red's drank in the sight of her child once more, committing ever detail of her to memory. Making her way back over to her she kissed her hand and softly whispered, "I have to go, but I'll be back soon. Okay? I love you."

"Love you too," Nicky mumbled sleepily.

Reluctantly, Fisher cuffed her and began leading her out of the medical unit. The walk was silent, and though Red was grateful that she had gotten to see Nicky, she was annoyed that their time had to come to an end.

"Why is the camp on lock down?" She asked quietly, her tone clipped in annoyance.

Shrugging, Fisher shook her head. "They said something about two prisoner's escap-"

"Identified persons are as followed," Fisher was cut off by the sound of her radio. "Rosa Cisneros and Yvonne Parker; Status Parker: deceased, Status Cisneros: MIA."

Fisher and Red exchanged a look. Susan sighed heavily at the shit eating grin on Red's face. It was obvious she was not torn up about the news.

Returning back to her dorm, Red was filled with a sense of relief, and not a sense of dread, as she passed by Nicky's cube. Her hands slid into her pocket, and her heart skipped a beat as she encountered Nicky's necklace. She gripped it tightly in her palm, for now, it would be all she had to hang onto.

 **Author's Note:** I'm not sure whether or not to apologize for how lengthy this is. LOL.


End file.
